Please post here if you have or had the wheel noise

Ok guys I'm trying to put together a list of all the people who've had the wheel squeak issue in hopes it will help solve the problem. My research on the topic leads me to believe that many have been affected by the issue. I feel that it is an important safety concern.

Please post legacy year and model, wheel affected, if the issue has been addressed by the dealer, what the dealer repaired, the mileage when it was fixed or occurred, and how many times the car has been "fixed." I'll start first.

2006 LGT

front left wheel

diagnosed and repaired by dealer

wheel bearing

12,500 miles

After approximately 200 miles the sound returned and the dealer has been notified. Car will go to dealer on 11-12-07 for diagnosis.

My hope for this list is to help find the cause and a solution to this issue. Please do not bash SOA in this post, I'd like to work with them to find a solution. My dealer has already notified the regional arm. Hopefully, on the second replacement I can go higher. Thanks for all that help, lets make this as professional as possible! Would it be possible to get this stickied?

2006 LGT

front left wheel

I really noticed the noise in the spring when the windows were down, maybe at 8,000 miles..

#1 diagnosed by dealer (will add date) - complaint not duplicated

#2 diagnosed by dealer (will add date) - lubed caliper hardware

#3 diagnosed by dealer (will add date) - "normal rust build-up.." problem persisted, of course, the service record did not accurately reflect my complaint

I have inspected the front left wheel bearing for axial play per the service guide and there was negligible play. I will continue to register a complaint at every scheduled service.

2006 LGT (I'll eventually post the build date)

Front Left Wheel (driver's side front)

Wheel bearing replaced at 9300 miles after a number of complaints. They finally noticed out-of-spec play in the bearing and just replaced the part, hoping the noise would be gone afterwards. The dealer technicians did acknowledge the noise symptom and still do.

The noise returned less than 1000 miles later and I complained to the dealer again. They kept my car for 3 business days and a weekend and were unable to determine the cause this time, so they told me. They politely asked me to return the car when it got worse.

They machined the parking brake shoes, thinking the noise was from the rear end. This has done nothing and I'm positive the noise is from the front.

The master tech. I've been dealing with seems pretty sure it's the same front left wheel area as before but he was not authorized to do anything. He even told me that there were 3 other LGTs that came in after me with the same symptom. The 2008 LGT loaner they gave me exhibited the symptom as well and I reported such to the dealer service department.

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I've also had brake problems. All 4 rotors were replaced at around 9400-9500 miles on the odometer. At 10,500 I returned the car to the dealer because the new rotors with the original pads are now squeaking. They didn't take care of that and I'm not sure if the brakes have anything to do with the supposed wheel bearing symptom. I figure it's important to mention the concurrence anyway.

Whatever the problem is, I'm concerned it's a bad hub seal. They can swap bearings over and over again and if the seal is bad, it won't matter. I hope we can get Subaru to take care of this, as it seems to be an increasingly more common issue.

2007 LGT Spec.B

Front Left (i think)

Did not notice until 14,700 miles (this evening). Will notify dealer tomorrow.

So much for pinks/swifts in the near future.

^ You don't need Pinks, etc. At the very least, I would suggest leaving your set up OEM until 60k.

Did a little spirited this and that tonight. This car never fails to impress. Great on the freeway, poised and eager on the ramps and cat-like through a few twisters.

Back OT, I noticed a little high pitch squealing a few weeks ago front the left front while backing out of the garage. Sounded like maybe a dragging pad on a cold rotor but "Subaru Bearings" did pop into my head.

^ I don't recommend making uneducated suggestions.

This thread is about wheel bearings anyway.

^ I don't recommend making uneducated suggestions.

Neither do I but thanks, anyway, for yours.

This thread is about wheel bearings anyway.

Subaru does have a bit of a rep for wheel bearings as I noted.

It would be interesting to know if any of the bearing afflicted have exceeded what could be called "normal" useage. Just for the record, I consider winter runs to the donut shop, etc., normal.

 

It would be interesting to know if any of the bearing afflicted have exceeded what could be called "normal" useage. Just for the record, I consider winter runs to the donut shop, etc., normal.

For the record, my car is 100% stock, including rims and tires.

I put 8500 miles on it in a year. It now has 10,800 miles on the odometer.

I hardly drive it. It's my daily driver and I live 2 miles from work.

This car has been babied far better than "normal usage".

As I stated in my previous post, the 2008 loaner I used exhibited the same squealing noise from the same wheel area. It had 1400 miles on the odometer and was, of course, completely stock.

2005 Legacy GT MT ...

I had my right front wheel bearing go bad at probably around 60k miles. I noticed a noise when going around corners. It made more noise going on direction than the other, it was a "grinding" type of sound. The bearing was shot, once they took it out you could turn it in your hand and it would make the grinding noise.

^ For the record, your useage pattern would be considered "extreme" as per the user manual (short trips are considered extreme use). Should your bearing fail because of that? I'd hope not.

That maintenance schedule has a lot more to do with oil/lubricant change frequency, not the failure of a sealed bearing.

Let's stick to the topic at hand and keep things as factual as possible in this thread.

Vimy, I know you mean well, but you are stuffing this thread full of uneducated conjectures that are misleading. Please stop. There is nothing extreme about driving my car to class in traffic, nor Jon taking his to work. Start and stop driving is considered heavier use but it completely in the realm of what this car was designed to operate in. No car, period, should go through bearings like these cars have at these reported mileages. Please use your logic, do you honestly think its ok to change wheel bearings at 12k, what about 1k? I haven't even done any spirited driving because I'm afraid that something will come apart on me. This is NOT the tread to make blind assumptions in, if you want to do that please go to the other thread. I'm trying to be as nice as possible about this, but I am at rope's end with this car and may need to take legal action in the future. I hope you understand why your previous posts were not appropriate.

 

Read your manual. Short trip useage is considered severe duty not just on the motor but on many of your car's operating systems. Should your bearing give out under such conditions? I would hope not if the bearing has been properly engineered (and in Subaru's case it may not be). You should educate yourself on what OEM described "severe duty" encompasses. By your own description of your driving habits, you fall under the definition of severe duty operating cycles. Just be aware of it.

"Blind assumptions"?

2007 Legacy GT MT

Left Front Bearing

8/07 - 11,700 miles (although I noticed it before then for about 1k miles)

verified and repaired by dealership

500 miles later, I start hearing same one start up, although, I haven't heard it lately.

No grinding, just high pitch squeal when on or off brakes. Brake pad mount ears are lubricated, and while I have aftermarket pads installed, the sound is independent of any useage of brakes.

That maintenance schedule has a lot more to do with oil/lubricant change frequency, not the failure of a sealed bearing.

 

Let's stick to the topic at hand and keep things as factual as possible in this thread.

Stop and go use will be harder on bearings than prolonged cruising. That is a fact. However, it does not excuse faulty bearing engineering and/or assembly. Basically, the severe duty cycle is accelerated wear and tear. Those who use their cars like that are quite possibly the vanguard for those who operate under more "normal" driving conditions.

Frankly, I'm hoping that the failures are due to some poor assembly line work shifts or a poor batch of materials and not a systemic design flaw.

Short trip useage is considered severe duty not just on the motor but on many of your car's operating systems.

Short is not defined.

"Blind assumptions"?

Yes, on your part.

Stop and go use will be harder on bearings than prolonged cruising. That is a fact.

No, it is not. God please enable "voteban" on forums

^ More stress/strain from repeated stops (from braking) and starts (from axle torque). I swear some people here really don't seem to understand mechanical systems. I thought something as elementary as that would be a given.

What is odd is that most of the bearing complaints seem to be of the front left assembly. What would be different about that position that seems to cause more failures?

^ More stress/strain from repeated stops (from braking) and starts (from axle torque). I swear some people here really don't seem to understand mechanical systems. I thought something as elementary as that would be a given.

Even so, the primary cause of these failures is most certainly not mechanical stress.

Bearings are bathed in grease and must be lubed extremely well at all times. The most common symptom of a bearing that is no longer lubricated properly is the squealing noise some of us have experienced, myself included.

The hubs containing these bearings are supposed to be sealed. If that seal breaks down, the bearing will get wet and/or dirty and the grease may either leak or dry out.

So, most likely either we have a case of poorly lubricated parts or poorly sealed hubs.

When the automobile is maintained properly (and with factory parts), according to the guidelines in the schedule and manuals, and driven for few lifetime miles, bearings shouldn't fail. It'd be hard to believe that so much mechanical stress occurred that bearings fail on cars with fewer than 10k miles, some as few as just over 1000 miles. If stress were to blame, then the part would surely be defective.

What is odd is that most of the bearing complaints seem to be of the front left assembly. What would be different about that position that seems to cause more failures?

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Guys, please note your information if your car is exhibiting this symptom and/or you've had a bearing swapped. Thanks!

^ I know about bearings having regreased old style non-sealed ones back in the day. (That always seemed a satisfying PM procedure to me for some reason. Maybe seeing the old grease coming out as the fresh was worked in.)

I described what I thought was brake noise on cold rotors coming from the left front. It only happened twice 6 or 7 weeks ago on consecutive humid days and hasn't returned since. I'm sure hoping it was just overnight rust on the rotors.

Do we know yet if this bearing replacement is covered under the 60k powertrain warranty? And if so, how much good would it be if its just going to crap out again?

More data would be nice (if that's the right word because in order to have "nice" data of these failures means more reported failures).

^ yes, it is part of the drivetrain "I swear some people here really don't seem to understand mechanical systems. I thought something as elementary as that would be a given."

We are try to do just as you described above, if you wouldn't keep dicking this thread up.

I've been looking through what I can find for the powertrain warranty and it doesn't look like they're covered. The wording is pretty ambiguous, no surprise there, and I'm not sure if they cover the bearings as "axle" parts. I'd ask the dealer guys about that. At least my dealer is pretty straight forward about that info.

I've got a year and a half left on the bumper-to-bumper, so if we don't get Subaru to resolve this soon, I'll be dumping the car. I really don't want to have to do that but I don't want to be replacing faulty bearings/hubs every few months either.

I'll grab the warranty book out of my car after lunch and post up what I find.

2007 Legacy GT MT

 

Left Front Bearing

 

8/07 - 11,700 miles (although I noticed it before then for about 1k miles)

 

verified and repaired by dealership

 

500 miles later, I start hearing same one start up, although, I haven't heard it lately.

 

No grinding, just high pitch squeal when on or off brakes. Brake pad mount ears are lubricated, and while I have aftermarket pads installed, the sound is independent of any useage of brakes.

this is good info, thanks for contributing

I've been looking through what I can find for the powertrain warranty and it doesn't look like they're covered. The wording is pretty ambiguous, no surprise there, and I'm not sure if they cover the bearings as "axle" parts. I'd ask the dealer guys about that. At least my dealer is pretty straight forward about that info.

 

I've got a year and a half left on the bumper-to-bumper, so if we don't get Subaru to resolve this soon, I'll be dumping the car. I really don't want to have to do that but I don't want to be replacing faulty bearings/hubs every few months either.

 

I'll grab the warranty book out of my car after lunch and post up what I find.

Thanks in advance for the leg work. I'm thinking they're not covered either.